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LAS VEGAS — Despite more success than all but a few athletes could ever hope or dream of, the fear of failure has never left Georges St-Pierre.

When he made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 46 in January 2004, he was worried that he wouldn’t be good enough to last in the big show. After winning the welterweight title, he was fearful of being a one-hit wonder. Even now, as he continues to build his legacy as perhaps the greatest mixed-martial-artist of all-time, the fear of losing, of becoming a former titleholder, of letting down his friends and family, of being just another fighter, pushes him.

That fear has been one of the driving forces behind going from the first fight on a UFC card to the main event of the company’s 20th anniversary show, where at UFC 167 on Saturday, in front of a capacity crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena, he puts his welterweight title on the line against No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks.

“Still today I’m always worried that I’m not good enough to be the champion,” said St-Pierre (24-2) in an interview before UFC 167.

“But I work very hard and the work it takes and the perseverance make me believe in myself.”

With a victory, St-Pierre (24-2) would become the first fighter to record 19 wins in the UFC (he’s currently tied with UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes at 18 victories). It would also be his 12th win in a championship match, breaking a tie he currently holds with former middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

It’s a long way from his debut nearly eight years ago, when St-Pierre warmed up in a bathroom stall because he was so agitated by the antics of a few veterans on the locker-room.

UFC president Dana White calls St-Pierre a “perfect champion” who well represents the belt, the company and his country.

“It’s been an honour and a pleasure working with him over the years,” said White.

St-Pierre, currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC/FightMetric official pound-for-pound rankings behind light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, says he looks forward to one day reflecting on his accomplishments: the title wins, headlining UFC 129 in front of 56,000 fans, main eventing UFC’s 20th anniversary card on Saturday. But now is not the time.

“It’s like when you’re driving at night, you have your lights on. You only see 200 metres in front of the road because after that, it’s darkness,” said St-Pierre, who has held the title since 2008.

“It’s the same thing in my career. You only see 200 metres. The sum of the fights — the 200 metres plus the 200 metres plus the 200 metres plus the 200 metres plus the 200 metres — makes your legacy and makes you be the fighter that you are. I try to see only 200 metres in front of me and the rest will take care of itself.”

Hendricks (15-1) is widely considered the toughest challenge for St-Pierre since the Quebec native became champion. A two-time NCAA wrestling champion and four-time all-American, Hendricks has some of the most feared one-punch knockout power in the sport. He KO’d Jon Fitch in 12 seconds, Amir Sadollah in 29 seconds, Charlie Brenneman in 40 seconds, Martin Kampmann in 46 seconds, and T.J. Waldburger in 95 seconds.

“I believe in my heart I can beat him,” said Hendricks of St-Pierre.

St-Pierre respects the game of Hendricks, but is quick to point out that he has heard time and again that his latest opponent has the tools to end his title reign: Nick Diaz had the grappling and cardio, Carlos Condit had the standup and chin, Jake Shields had the jiu-jitsu. Each of his last 11 opponents has watched St-Pierre get his hand raised.

Despite St-Pierre’s gaudy resume, Hendricks insists he’s not intimidated. He learned early in his preteen wrestling days, and has carried the attitude since, that no opponent is unbeatable “as long as you think you can do it, you know what I mean?”

Hendricks, unwavering confidence in his voice, insists he’ll be the next UFC welterweight champion.

“He’s just a man. Yeah, he’s got a pedigree but so do I,” said Hendricks.

“Everybody that he’s faced, the last five fights, I’ve pretty much faced the last five fights and I’ve done it better or the same as he has … The outlook that you should (fear) him? He should be feared of me. I have nothing to lose, everything to gain. I want to be champion. He’s been champion. I want to defend that title like he has. That’s my dream. That’s my goal. That’s everything that I want, he has right now. I’m going to take it from him.”

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